Monday, June 15, 2015

Holy Bat-Family!

There are so many things I love about the classic 1966
Batman TV series. Among them is the strong sense of family. Throughout their
campy adventures, Batman and Robin relied on one another, and together relied
on Alfred, Batgirl and even Aunt Harriet. In my upcoming book, Holy Heroes! The
Gospel According to DC and Marvel, I devote a whole chapter to spiritual
lessons we can learn from the Batman family dynamic. Here's a brief excerpt:

Batman’s persistent pursuit of partners is a vivid reminder
that you and I were formed for God’s family. The loss of his paternal family
drove Bruce to build the largest crime-fighting family in comic books—a family
that he relies upon for support, strength and stability in his war on crime.
That’s what the church provides for you and me.All of us need a place to belong. All of us need to be part
of something bigger than ourselves. All of us need to experience family and
fellowship. Going to church is not primarily about worship. You can worship God
at home from the comfort of your recliner, or behind the wheel of your car, or
while kneeling at your bedside. Church is primarily about family! The Bible
uses a lot of metaphors to describe the church, but the most persistent is
family. In the New Testament, believers call each other brothers and sisters.
The church is called the household of God.
The Bible say, “Now you…are not foreigners or strangers any longer, but
are citizens together with God’s holy people. You belong to God’s family”
(Ephesians 2:19 NCV).